EN325 Modern Grammar

for F1T 2010

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Course

EN 325 Modern Grammar

Semester

F1T 2010 DL

Faculty

Waltman, Bradley A.

Title

Instructor of English

Degrees/Certificates

ABD English Indiana University of PAM.A. English - Hunter CollegeBA Spanish - James Madison University

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Course Description:EN325 Modern Grammar: This course concentrates on modern approaches to English grammar and its teachings after a brief historical perspective of transformational, structural, and traditional methodologies 3:0:3

Educational Philosophy: My educational philosophy is one of interactiveness based on lectures, readings, quizzes, dialogues, examinations, internet, videos, web sites and writings. I will engage each learner to explore ideas, issues, and contradictions.

Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the language for contemporary grammatical study and in the recognition and manipulation of grammatical structures. Proficiency will be demonstrated through regular completion of assignments from the text, through class discussions, and through formal examinations (MoSTEP 1.1.1; 1.2.1.1. CA 7; G 1.10; 4/2-4.3; NCTE 2.1.4-3.2.5; CR 2-4).

The Core Assessment for EN/EDU 325, Modern Grammar, is the final examination. This examination requires students to 1) identify the grammatical form and function of given clauses, phrases, and words using the linguistic terminology covered by the course; 2) generate their own examples of various grammatical forms; and 3) compose short essays about contemporary issues in the study and teaching of grammar.

Proctored* final examination (taken in person at a Park Campus Center or other approved location)

A computerized examination will be taken in a proctored testing environment during the 8th week at one of the Park University sites around the country or at an alternative location. For proctored examinations, photo identification is required at the time of the test. Guidelines for selecting an acceptable proctor can be found on the Park University Website.

Other Information on proctored exams:

It will be the responsibility of the student to arrange for a proctor, by the 6th week of the term, who is accepted and approved by the course instructor.

Approval of proctors is the discretion of the Online instructor.

A proctor request form will be made available to you during the first week of class so that you can send your requested proctor to your instructor for approval.

Failure to take a final proctored exam (or submit your final project for some online graduate courses) will result in an automatic "F" grade.

Grading:

There are 1000 points possible in our class this term. The grading scale for this course is as follows:

A

900-1000 points

B

800-899 points

C

700-799 points

D

600-699 points

F

500-599 points

Late Submission of Course Materials:

Initial posts to discussion and homework threaded discussions are due by Wednesday (12 Midnight CT) of each week. Students can engage in peer review and tweak their responses until Sunday (12 Midnight CT) of each week. The term project is due Sunday (12 Midnight CT) of Week Seven.

No late work will be accepted for discussion assignments; homework may be accepted late for partial credit if arrangements are made with the instructor prior to the due date. The exams and term project must be completed on/by the due dates.

Academic Honesty:Academic integrity is the foundation of the academic community. Because each student has the primary responsibility for being academically honest, students are advised to read and understand all sections of this policy relating to standards of conduct and academic life. Park University students and faculty members are encouraged to take advantage of the University resources available for learning about academic honesty (www.park.edu/current or http://www.park.edu/faculty/).from Park University 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog Page 92

Plagiarism:Plagiarism involves the use of quotations without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of the source, the use of another's idea without acknowledging the source, the submission of a paper, laboratory report, project, or class assignment (any portion of such) prepared by another person, or incorrect paraphrasing. from Park University 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog Page 92-93

The instructor may excuse absences for valid reasons, but missed work must be made up within the semester/term of enrollment.

Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties.

In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a semester/term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of "F".

A "Contract for Incomplete" will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course.

Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance or Veterans Administration educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the semester/term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student.

Report of a "F" grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for those students who are receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned in item 5 above will be reported to the appropriate agency.

ONLINE NOTE: An attendance report of "P" (present) will be recorded for students who have logged in to the Online classroom at least once during each week of the term. Recording of attendance is not equivalent to participation. Participation grades will be assigned by each instructor according to the criteria in the Grading Policy section of the syllabus.

Disability Guidelines:Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all students that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to students concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University's policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding students with disabilities. In the case of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University's policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: http://www.park.edu/disability .

Additional Information:

Tips for Success:

Based on my experience as both a student and teacher of grammar, here are my top five tips for success in EN325:

Read and Re-Read: The readings of this course are not intended to be difficult; but because of the enormous scope of grammatical study and the short time we have to explore it, the coursework is intense, requiring your complete attention and a great deal of rereading and reconsidering. The textbook is brief, but every word is there for a purpose. Every example is worth considering carefully. It is also cumulative. If you don't understand one chapter, the next chapter will be much more difficult to understand.

Ask Questions: Don't hesitate to ask questions in the Office area of our course or, if you would prefer, via email to your instructor. Since the course is cumulative, it is critical that you diligently pursue a complete understanding of each concept. Don't be afraid to ask any question! In each week's discussion, you'll also have opportunities to work with each other--peer learning/teaching is usually the most rewarding component of an online course, especially this one.

Identify Online Resources: Although our emphasis in this course will be on function (how a grammatical constituent functions in the context of a given sentence), it is helpful to have a good dictionary handy, as sometimes a form definition is a good place to start. My online dictionary of choice is Merriam-Webster, http://www.m-w.com/. Also, a good online language handbook will provide definitions as a starting point. Some of my favorites include The Guide to Grammar and Writing, http://webster.comment.edu/grammar/ and Daniel Kies' textbook Modern English Grammar, http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/engl_126/books126.htm.

Login and Participate Regularly: Some online students simply login once or twice during the week...to post their initial responses and to respond to peers. A better approach is to login each day or every other day to monitor (not necessarily respond to) the online discussions. That way, you aren't trying to absorb all of the postings in one or two sittings. I recommend going into the online course on Monday or Tuesday and trying to ask any questions you have about the readings before your online discussion posting is due. You can post questions in the discussion area; in our virtual office (under Course Home); or via private email to your instructor

Expect responses from your instructor submitted by email or on the threads within 48 hours. Expect responses to major assignment submissions (e.g., a draft of your research project) within a week after the week it is due. You should check your email and the various course threads at least every two or three days and you should check the gradebook once each week. Grading for each week is normally completed by Wednesday of the following week.

Rubric

Competency

Exceeds Expectation (3)

Meets Expectation (2)

Does Not Meet Expectation (1)

No Evidence (0)

Evaluation Outcomes1,2,3

Responses demonstrate high level understanding of relationship between syntax and semantics.

Responses demonstrate an accurate, basic understanding of the connection of linguistic form to semantic outcome.

Responses discuss the semantic implications of linguistic choices in superficial or inaccurate ways.

Student-generated examples do not accurately illustrate given grammatical forms and functions, or the examples generated simply parrot ones found in the course texts.

Analysis Outcomes1,2

Student identifies the difference between grammatical form and function and also recognizes instances of ambiguity in interpretation of function.

Student accurately identifies the difference between grammatical form and function.

Student only partially or inaccurately recognizes the different categories of form and function.

Application Outcomes1,2

Student not only applies the linguistic terminology to sample passages but can also use more specific grammatical terms to identify word-level forms and functions.

Student accurately applies the language of grammatical analysis to sample passages, utilizing the language of the seven basic sentence constituents and related patterns.

Student does not accurately apply the language of grammatical analysis or does so only superficially.

Content of Communication Outcomes2,3

Essay responses critically discuss the implications of the course's linguistic concepts on contemporary issues in the study and/or teaching of grammar, providing the student's own interpretation of the issues.

Essay responses relate the linguistic content of the course to contemporary issues in the study and/or teaching of grammar.

Essay responses do not relate the linguistic content of the course to contemporary issues in the study and/or teaching of grammar.

Technical Skill in Communicating Outcomes3

Content of essay questions displays consistent facility in the use of standard edited English, demonstrating variety in sentence structure and range of vocabulary.

Content of essay questions conforms to standard edited English with a minimum of grammar or mechanical errors.